The Minister of Defense of Colombia, Iván Velásquez recognized that Mancuso’s life could be in danger due to the “contributions” he has offered so that “the truth” is known.
Mancuso has participated in several hearings within the framework of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)in which he has provided information on how the AUC acted as a “hinge” between the military and paramilitary apparatus in various “patterns of macrocriminality” such as displacements or extrajudicial executions.
The AUC, the group responsible for the majority of homicides during the armed conflict according to the Truth Commission, They demobilized in 2006 after a negotiation process with the Government of former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010)..
As part of the agreement, the former paramilitaries took advantage of the Justice and Peace Law, which contemplated maximum sentences of eight years in prison in exchange for collaboration to solve crimes.
However, A group of 14 senior former AUC military leaders, including Mancuso, alias ‘El Mono’, were extradited to the United States on May 13, 2008. on planes of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with Uribe’s authorization.
The federal court in Washington, DC, where most of these cases were tried, was silent for years and carried out carry out part of the procedures in secret due to the possibility that, in them, secrets of the “parapolitics” will be revealed“, a scandal that came to light in 2006 and revealed links between Colombian political leaders and paramilitaries.
In 2009, a year after the extradition, Mancuso pleaded guilty of the drug trafficking charges brought against him by the United States and in 2015 he was sentenced to 15 years and 10 months in prison.
2024-02-28 03:30:25
#Salvatore #Mancuso #arrive #Colombia #Tuesday
